StarTwo Art Tips – Sketching Lines

Something that we cross paths a lot with when giving workshops, on comments and e-mails is how writing habits seem to seep into drawing and results in bad hand position or much dependency on contact with the surface when long stable lines are needed.

Your fingers should bend slightly at enough distance from the tip that you can see what you’re drawing, the direction you’re heading and any other elements on the page while trying not to put too much pressure on the fingers holding the pencil.

Crunching your fingers limits visibility and will strain your hand and wrist faster.

To achieve stable longer lines you should try to use your whole arm to draw, instead of merely rotating your wrist – if you imagine a straight line, your hand and wrist should be aligned on that same imaginary line.

If you’re doing detailed or precise work, the underside of your palm can rest on the surface, or also with the side of your pinky, to help you guide the tip of your pencil.

Remember that these can be untrained muscles – either in holding the pencil or moving exactly how you want to – so be patient and kind to yourself, while keeping in mind that practice will bear fruits, and in this case, control over your lines.

We have more to share, but do let us know if you found this useful!

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